considering becoming first-time owner: questions

Jack,

lol, I hardly stopped going on with you on the lighting thread because of any point you made or any support you got from anyone (you didn't get any from anyone I'd listen to about caring for anything, including something as basic as a BD). I stopped because it was painfully clear to me that you and your buddy had made yourselves look just as intellegent as everyone else has come to realize you are and you weren't bringing anything to the table other than "scientific studies are worthless," and "I know all." As Matt and Jim both said, its a shame, you seemed to have a good passion, just a poor ability to discuss topics and consider other's experience and views. I still have issue with your affirmed disregard for science and consideration of its findings but you've done a great job at showing just how realiable you are and your buddy has shown the same in other threads so to be honest, you weren't worth my time, so i quit bothering. I have to say while I much prefer screen housing, Niel is right that it is used quite widely in some areas (Europe for instance) with success. To simply knock it down without any information on the topic is not helpful at all but if you compare the two, IMO a clear benefit to screen cages is obvious for the majority of keepers and circumstances (although that isn't to say in the right circumstances and maintanence, glass tanks can't work perfectly fine). I guess my main issue with you is not the majority of the information you give, Jack, its that you tend to glorify your experience with 3 chameleons as the absolute authority on chameleon keeping while others like Jason, Matt, Jim and I are coming at you with a combined experience time of well over 35 years, either recommending a different approach to advising keepers or informing you about potential situations you hadn't thought about and you jump up with your 3 chameleons of experience trying to back it all with your gun. Obviously now you're not going to be gracing us with the pleasure of your posts and opinions/experience but in the future, you might consider bringing more to the table than that combination if you want any dose of consideration.

Chris

hi,

i've started getting set to get my cham; now have a mesh cage from habitat designs via the kammers. what's the best way to fasten vines, branches, etc., to the enclosure? i have the black little pull-ties, but they're too big to fit through the mesh. tape?

thanks!
-matthew

Matthew,
Several possibilities come to mind. The first would be to cut a few pieces of bamboo (or similar wood) that would fit between opposite screen sides, perpendicular to the screen, and fix them there with a screw and washer from the outside. Or you could try the twisty-tie wire available in most garden shops. Within the cage, the same twisty-tie wire, or even electical tape, are very functional and durable, as you creat climbing grids between these attachment points. I would avoid all commercial vines that are made to look "natural", as they are anything but, containing unnatural compounds to create the look, and keep the materials simple, such as untreated bamboo or dried sticks, etc. I have used rubber coated wire of various gauges, but lean away from it, as its surface does not wick away water from the feet of chams as they sleep, and can cause occasional bacterial and fungus problems. Also, when using a metal screen cage, similar to standard aluminum screen, you might want to look at buying some cheap plastic mesh fencing (hurricane or debris fencing) or trellis fence, cut to appropriate size, and placed within the cage, near the sides, so that the chameleon will climb it, rather than the screen. Metal screen, while it holds crickets in that can chew through fiberglass screen, will wear down the claws of larger chameleons, making it difficult for them to climb any surface, and cause injury. The tips of sharp claws can become stuck in metal screen, particularly if the chameleon has reason to jump or fall, a common defense by a startled chameleon, causing the claw to rip out, or a tissue tear at its base, and then the ensuing infection. In the wild, the chameleon has little if any interacton with surfaces from which it cannot release cleanly.

Jim Flaherty
The Chameleon Company, LLC

Jim,

Thanks for the advice. A couple of follow-up questions, if I may. I just got a shipment of stuff in, including a couple of 6' terrarium (artificial) vines; trash them? You mention throwing some screws into bamboo or something similar and running it across the environment; what would be similar? (not sure where i could find non-fresh bamboo for sale, even in new york). and lastly, you mentioned how it is older chams that injure their claws on fine mesh. if i'm thinking of getting a young'n, at what point should i worry and start hunting for the plastic fencing? also, something i've been wondering... i've read that the surfaces you give your chams to walk on should be the width of their feet... does that also apply to their basking area/branch?

thanks again,
-matthew

Matthew,
As for the vines, my anecdotal experience is several years old, and I have not used them since. I have also heard about bad interactions regarding Parsons Chameleons and artificial vines. My advice is to avoid them, as with chameleons, an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. But I cannot say that I know of bad experiences with that specific product you mention.
The garden shops of Lowes and Home Depot, and other garden centers, carry lots of bamboo. Try to get the untreated (not dyed green) brands. Or you can use wooden dowel, or find sticks in the forest and wash and clean them. Also, the major arts and crafts stores carry wreaths of sticks that are popular with the artsy folks. They are cheap, and can be dissasembled to give you all kinds of options.
Chameleons seem to prefer branches of a diameter appropriate for the foot size. Here is where healthy sharp claws help out. Once worn down, the chameleon loses its ability to climb something more trunk-like, and becomes limited in mobility because it can only grip well where it can wrap its feet around the branch, etc. With good claws, it goes right up a 1-2" diameter trunk, etc.
Standard metal screen has very little need for concern with small chameleons. But once total length starts to approach 5 inches or so, that will change. With experience, one thing you will notice is the ease with which a chameleon can negotiate a natural surface ... almost run across it if necessary. Watch a bigger chameleon on a metal screen, and you will see a dramatic difference. It has to disengage each foot .... kind of imagine yourself with velcro-bottomed shoes on a velcro carpet. Most of these "inner grid" substitutes that I refer too are inexpensive, and depending on your cage, you can play around with options so as to get one that works for the chameleon, your cage, and is appealing to you. Good luck with all.

Jim Flaherty
The Chameleon Company, LLC

So I purchased my cham and got it this last Thursday (6/9): a male panther Sambava. Approx. 4 mos. old. Since I've gotten him, I've fed him a diet of crickets; tried putting mealworms in with him yesterday but he ignored them. Today tried putting in a domestic housefly from a culture which he eyed, but it hasn't come close to him yet for him to snatch. I have seen him a couple of times, however, eat either the roots of his ficus or the dirt the ficus is planted in (can't tell which). The second time I saw him do it was less than ten minutes after he had finished off a cricket. Any thoughts/suggestions?

so a few weeks later and i've now see him gnaw on the support post that the pothos grows off of. it's a wooden stake that runs through the center of the pot that the plant has grown around, and he opens up his jaws, licks the wood with his tongue, and then physically gnaws on the wood. he could be getting moisture from it, but i really doubt it... i saw him do it yesterday, put a dripper on top of the enclsoure where he could see it, and he ran away from the water. any suggestions from the collective wisdom of people here?

this is my first chameleon so i am really lost with this behavior... not like anything i've read or seen discussed on panthers?

Matthew,
What you are seeing is not uncommon. Many chameleons will chew at bark and other debris in their cage. As to why they do it? Well, we could speculate forever, but since its not an uncommon behavior, I wouldn't worry about it. It may serve as an incentive to err on the side of caution, and always use natural products that are clean of foreign matter. The licking or "tasting" is also not uncommon. Again, not sure why they do it, but as chameleons have no trouble identifying water droplets when available, and you are providing good water at least once daily, I wouldn't worry.

Jim Flaherty
The Chameleon Company, LLC

I used glass initally but definitely like the screen alot better! I currently just make larger holes in the screen and twist tied the vines to the frame. When I get my larger cage (4x3x2) Ill put in metal eyelets into the frame portion to serve as anchors for the vines. I have had good luck with the atifical vines and even go through the trouble to replace them every 6 months or so.

I had trouble finding plants up here that could support my Oustalets so I went artificial. Easier for maintenance especially when I deploy and rely on friends to take care of the critters.

Along with the vines I use plastic / silk plants with no problems and an automatic mister hooked to all my cages. I only mist during the day now as its been mentioned that night misting in cooler temps can cause sickness. Makes sense.

Good luck and similiar to fish tanks, and sometimes the best thing to do is less not more.

Hey Alan, gets a little cold up at Ft. Drum in the wintertime, n'est pas? Thank you for the work you do, was there many years ago. As an added note to the gnawing concerns posted by others earlier, and to which I responded once, I would like to elaborate a smidgeon. My experience is primarily with panthers, 1000's of them. Whatever their motive is, I don't think that they have a differential opinion about what they gnaw. In the wild, they evidently can get away with it with little or no regard for what they ingest. Mother Nature long ago provided a route for natural selection to take care of those that had any notion of gnawing anything detrimental, if such a choice is possible in their natural environment. But in a captive environment, I have seen panthers gnaw on anything, to include natural items, but also plastic mesh, artificial plants and vines, etc. Again, I could only speculate with no firm basis what-so-ever as to the motive or benefit. Surely there is one, or several. But key is to realize that it does occur, and therefore I always recommend to avoid artificial where possible, or at least make natural available where artificial is in use also. Juvenile panthers show a greater preponderance to gnaw than adults, but all do it.

Jim Flaherty
The Chameleon Company, LLC